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This book, along with two others, saved my first semester. It is concise and the chapters give a brief overview of all the main cases and how the laws interact together. Conceptually there is no better supplement, I used all of the main ones and they are more explanatory but only Emanuel gives any sort of flow chart or check list. This book changed the entire way I approach studying, especially Torts and Crim law (however the other books in the series are not as conceptual and flowchart driven).

I used various supplements for this class. Before buying all of them (like I did) I would go to your law library and look them over, use them for your class and see if they are presented in a way that works for you. If not, then buy whatever you can that is most useful and use the library's books as needed. My biggest mistake was thinking by using supplements to supplement my casebook I would learn less or get screwed up. Professors tell you whether they like supplements or not, but if you use them to prepare for class, still at least go through the cases and take NOTES from what they say, you will do far better.

I will explain the books I used second semester, which is less theory and rules based. Before each class topic I read Acing Civil Procedure (Acing Law School) and then outlined the rule in my own words using the Commentary sections in A Student's Guide to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (Student Guides) to fill in and flesh out the rules. I then read through Emanuel Law Outline: Civil Procedure Yeazell (Emanual Law Outlines) skimming and highlighting the key points in my casebook Civil Procedure and adding the extra info to my rule outlines. This made class easy because I simply noted the key comments and wording my Prof used and modified my outline accordingly. After class I quickly organized the rule outline and moved on. This may seem like a lot of time, but it was about 3 hours a week. Beware of spending too much time on the supplements and rule outline BEFORE class. Much of the material in the supplements and casebook is not covered in class and therefore a waste of time.

When many spent extra time making their outlines, mine was complete and I spent an hour or two each week working through hypos and questions from Civil Procedure: Examples & Explanations 5th edition and Glannon Guide to Civil Procedure: Student Manual. I added any issues and fact patterns I came across, to my rules outline. Before the exam I condensed my outlined rules, worked on hypos, and used the hypos we went over in class to see how Prof would work them into the exam. Overall I did not spend much time understanding the cases in their entirety . After the first week of class you should have typed down every question asked in class, because this is what the prof will ask the rest of the year. This makes it easier to skim cases and determine what is necessary and what is a complete waste of memory and time.

For first semester, this was my worst class. My 1st semester Prof was not very good and I did not practice hypos and writing out answers as in 2nd semester. What I learned was to USE SUPPLEMENTS. I used them in half my classes (best grades) and not in the other half (good but worse). I managed to use Emanuel to catch up and made a great outline, but I spent far too much time with my wording in the essays. This is where Understanding Civil Procedure, Acing Civ Pro and Glannon Guide (multiple choice) came in. Even without multiple choice exams, these short practice questions really help hammer out the trickier parts. The hypos help you learn to quickly write out your answer. The Understanding series is GREAT for your first semester, because it more in depth and helps you understand the overall concepts better. Also, many prefer E&E to other books for explanation, but I found it better suited for hypos.

These books collectively were not necessary , but they sure helped. If you are short on cash, the best books from most helpful to least are your required casebook, FRCP Student's guide, Emanuel (if not using Yeazall, the keyed edition to your casebook if possible, if not then case briefs should work), Acing Civ Pro (AMAZING short book with great checklists to work through the rules), Glannon Guide, and then E&E (if used for hypos, although there is a newer ed). For first semester, the Understanding book was excellent to read before anything else (do not read too heavy), because it is highly explanatory. I have found canned briefs useful from online and the various case brief books keyed to your casebook. Acing Civ Pro was the best book, but not the most needed if short on cash. See my other reviews regarding the above books mentioned. However only the first couple paragraphs will be different.

Good Luck, I will try and answer any comments!

Although this book isn't detailed enough to really help you prepare for class, it was awesome for exam review. It provides a straightforward, concise explanation of each chapter, and then review questions and answers. It also has checklists, but I didn't refer to these very much since if your prof covers different cases or doesn't use a step that the author uses, you end up getting stuck in the middle of the checklist and you don't know where to go next. It's better to write your own checklists once you're done outlining. But one of the best things about this book is that it helps you understand the topics and practice applying them, but it's not so long that it's intimidating. I read every non-checklist page of this book.

Be careful, though, with this or any other civ pro study aid--it cover the really recent, important cases, because it was published a few years ago. For example, it doesn't include Iqbal, Walmart, or Goodyear. If you're using the Freer casebook, I recommend getting a Barbri account and watching the Freer lectures along with using this book.

Unlike any study-aid I have come across. Professor Spencer's reviews of the topics are clear and concise. While some professors don't want for you to use supplements some are worth it and this would be one of them. The checklists both organize the many seemingly disparate pieces of Civil Procedure into a logical whole and give students a practical and effective approach to exam questions. Furthermore, this small book is comprehensive without being overbearing because its so thin, but filled with awesome suggest of digestible information.

When I started law school a friend of mine recommended that I get this book. While shopping for supplements I was a little skeptical because it was so short. However, I ordered it on Amazon and to this day (I am a 3rd year student now) it is the best supplement I have used for any class in law school. This class can be difficult, especially for first years, and this book breaks the concepts down to checklists that will help you go through a law school problem. This is the only civil procedure supplement you will need. I have lent this to many people and everyone has come back and told me how amazing this book is. The other books in this series are good as well but this one is fantastic. You will learn the material and better yet learn how to answer a law school exam question which is invaluable and makes this product well worth its price.

This is a review for Acing Civil Procedure 2nd edition (2008). The format of the acing series is fantastic. You will not learn the law from this book, but if you are familiar with the law, this book will both refresh your recollection and, more importantly, teach you how to apply the rules systematically to an exam question. Since it is a relatively short book, you can read it in a short period of time, and it will put the whole course in perspective. 2010 has brought a few changes to civ pro, including the Supreme Court decision in Iqbal, which will affect your approach to pleadings questions, and Congress's adoption of some changes to the FRCP, particularly Rule 56 on Summary Judgment, which is completely rewritten, and Rule 26 on disclosure. I used the 2008 edition to prepare for my exam, and it was extremely helpful. However, if a new edition comes out in 2011, which it probably should considering how quickly civ pro rules change, and you have the option, choose the latest edition.

For Civil Procedure this "checklist" method is excellent. During an exam (especially open book) you can just look over it and make sure you've discussed every relevant issue or rule in a given fact scenario. I will warn that I don't think this series is particularly useful in other subjects!

I found the Acing Series easily readable with good checklists in the back. However, I did not use this during my test preparation.